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| Turnout | 81.25% (of registered voters) 3.36%[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Congressional district results Precinct results
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 2012 U.S. presidential election | |||
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The2012 United States presidential election in Washington took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus theDistrict of Columbia participated.Washington voters chose 12 electors to represent them in theElectoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbentDemocratic PresidentBarack Obama and his running mate, Vice PresidentJoe Biden, againstRepublican challenger and formerMassachusetts GovernorMitt Romney and his running mate,CongressmanPaul Ryan.
President Obama easily won the state of Washington, taking 56.16% of the vote to Mitt Romney's 41.29%, a 14.87% margin of victory.[2] In terms of raw vote total, Obama received 1,755,396 votes to Romney's 1,290,670 votes, a 464,726 vote margin. Obama received the largest number of votes of any candidate up to that point, a record which would be broken by his then-running mateJoe Biden in2020, when Biden broke Obama's record by 614,216 votes.[3] Third parties collectively made up 79,450 votes, or 2.54%. Obama led in every singlepoll conducted, often by double digits. Washington has not voted for a Republican sinceRonald Reagan carried it in his1984 landslide, and today is considered part of theBlue Wall, a bloc of 242 electoral votes that have safely voted for the Democratic nominee since1992. Despite being a Republican-leaningswing state in the early- to mid-20th century, the rise ofcultural conservatism and resistance tosocial liberalism in the Republican Party pushed voters in Washington, as well as many other Blue Wall states, away from the Republicans.[4]
As incumbent PresidentBarack Obama ran without opposition nationwide, the non-binding primary was canceled by theWashington State Legislature. Precinct caucuses took place on April 15, legislative district caucuses on April 28, county conventions on April 29, and congressional district caucuses on May 30. The Washington state convection took place from June 1 to 3, and according toThe Green Papers, Obama ran unopposed in the caucuses, receiving 114 delegates in theDemocratic National Convention floor vote. The other 6 delegates' votes were unannounced.[5]
TheRepublican caucuses were held on March 3, 2012.[6] The additional preferential primary, as held since1992, was canceled this year for budgetary reasons, as was the one in2004.[7] Caucus participants, however, did not allocate national delegates to the candidates – they only elected delegates to the county conventions and took part in anonbindingstraw poll. Only the state convention from May 31 to June 2, 2012, legally pledged delegates to the national convention to specific candidates.
With 3,677,919 registered voters as of February 29,[8] the turnout was 1.4%.[9] FormerMassachusetts GovernorMitt Romney won the caucuses with a plurality, receiving 19,111 votes or 37.65%.Ron Paul,representative fromTexas's 14th district, narrowly won second place with 24.81% of the vote against formerSenator fromPennsylvaniaRick Santorum's 23.81%. FormerSpeaker of the HouseNewt Gingrich placed fourth, with 5,221 votes, or 10.28%. The other 3.44% of votes were uncommitted orwrite-ins.
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Mitt Romney | 19,111 | 37.65% |
| Ron Paul | 12,594 | 24.81% |
| Rick Santorum | 12,089 | 23.81% |
| Newt Gingrich | 5,221 | 10.28% |
| Uncommitted | 1,656 | 3.26% |
| Total Write-Ins | 93 | 0.18% |
| Totals | 50,764 | 100.00% |
At theRepublican National Convention,Romney received all 3 delegates from the1st,2nd,4th,5th,6th,8th,9th, and10th districts.Ron Paul received 2 delegates from the3rd district and all 3 from the7th. The 3rd district also allocated 1 delegate toRick Santorum. All 10 state delegates were allocated to Romney, as were the 3superdelegates.
| Convention Results[10][11][12] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | State | Party leaders | Total |
| Mitt Romney | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 37 |
| Ron Paul | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Rick Santorum | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 30 | 10 | 3 | 43 | |||||||||
PresidentObama consistently led in polling up until election day: at one point, aSurveyUSA poll conducted from September 28 to 30 had him leading by 20 points. In only two polls did Obama lead by single digits: aPublic Policy Polling poll conducted October 15 to 16 had him leading by 5 points, and another conducted November 1 to 3 had him up 7. An average of all polls conducted before election day had Obama leading by 13.6 percentage points.
| Poll source | Date administered | Democrat | % | Republican | % | Lead margin | Sample Size | Margin of error |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouGov[13] | October 31 – November 3, 2012 | Barack Obama | 54% | Mitt Romney | 40% | 14 | 837 LV | ±--% |
| Public Policy Polling[14] | November 1–3, 2012 | Barack Obama | 53% | Mitt Romney | 46% | 7 | 932 LV | ±3.2% |
| Survey USA[15] | October 28–31, 2012 | Barack Obama | 54% | Mitt Romney | 40% | 14 | 555 LV | ±4.2% |
| University of Washington[16] | October 18–31, 2012 | Barack Obama | 57% | Mitt Romney | 36% | 21 | 632 LV | ±3.9% |
| Strategies 360[17] | October 17–20, 2012 | Barack Obama | 52% | Mitt Romney | 39% | 13 | 500 LV | ±4.4% |
| Public Policy Polling[18] | October 15–16, 2012 | Barack Obama | 50% | Mitt Romney | 45% | 5 | 574 LV | ±--% |
| The Washington Poll[19] | October 1–16, 2012 | Barack Obama | 52% | Mitt Romney | 41% | 11 | 782 LV | ±3.5% |
| Rasmussen Reports[20] | October 14, 2012 | Barack Obama | 55% | Mitt Romney | 42% | 13 | 500 LV | ±4.5% |
| SurveyUSA[21] | October 12–14, 2012 | Barack Obama | 54% | Mitt Romney | 40% | 14 | 543 LV | ±4.3% |
| SurveyUSA[22] | September 28–30, 2012 | Barack Obama | 56% | Mitt Romney | 36% | 20 | 540 LV | ±4.3% |
| Rasmussen Reports[20] | September 26, 2012 | Barack Obama | 52% | Mitt Romney | 41% | 11 | 500 LV | ±4.5% |
| Gravis Marketing[23] | September 21–22, 2012 | Barack Obama | 56% | Mitt Romney | 39% | 17 | 625 RV | ±4.6% |
| Elway[24] | September 9–12, 2012 | Barack Obama | 53% | Mitt Romney | 36% | 17 | 405 RV | ±5.0% |
| Public Policy Polling[25] | September 7–9, 2012 | Barack Obama | 53% | Mitt Romney | 42% | 11 | 563 | ±n/a% |
| KING5NEWS/SurveyUSA[26] | September 7–9, 2012 | Barack Obama | 54% | Mitt Romney | 38% | 16 | 700 | ±4.4% |
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Huffington Post[27] | Lean D | November 6, 2012 |
| CNN[28] | Safe D | November 6, 2012 |
| New York Times[29] | Safe D | November 6, 2012 |
| Washington Post[30] | Safe D | November 6, 2012 |
| RealClearPolitics[31] | Lean D | November 6, 2012 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[32] | Solid D | November 5, 2012 |
| FiveThirtyEight[33] | Solid D | November 6, 2012 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Barack Obama Joe Biden | 1,755,396 | 56.16% | −1.49% | |
| Republican | Mitt Romney Paul Ryan | 1,290,670 | 41.29% | +0.81% | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson Jim Gray | 42,202 | 1.35% | +0.93% | |
| Green | Jill Stein Cheri Honkala | 20,928 | 0.67% | +0.54% | |
| Constitution | Virgil Goode Jim Clymer | 8,851 | 0.28% | −0.03% | |
| Justice | Rocky Anderson Luis J. Rodriguez | 4,946 | 0.16% | N/A | |
| Socialism and Liberation | Peta Lindsay Yari Osorio | 1,318 | 0.04% | +0.02% | |
| Socialist Workers | James Harris Alyson Kennedy | 1,205 | 0.04% | +0.02% | |
| Total votes | 3,125,516 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| County[34] | Barack Obama Democratic | Mitt Romney Republican | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,540 | 32.13% | 3,171 | 66.16% | 82 | 1.71% | -1,631 | -34.03% | 4,793 |
| Asotin | 4,003 | 40.43% | 5,654 | 57.11% | 244 | 2.46% | -1,651 | -16.68% | 9,901 |
| Benton | 28,145 | 35.38% | 49,461 | 62.17% | 1,953 | 2.45% | -21,316 | -26.79% | 79,559 |
| Chelan | 13,112 | 40.66% | 18,402 | 57.06% | 736 | 2.28% | -5,290 | -16.40% | 32,250 |
| Clallam | 18,580 | 48.81% | 18,437 | 48.43% | 1,049 | 2.76% | 143 | 0.38% | 38,066 |
| Clark | 93,382 | 48.94% | 92,951 | 48.72% | 4,472 | 2.34% | 431 | 0.23% | 190,805 |
| Columbia | 645 | 28.55% | 1,568 | 69.41% | 46 | 2.04% | -923 | -40.86% | 2,259 |
| Cowlitz | 22,726 | 50.93% | 20,746 | 46.49% | 1,148 | 2.57% | 1,980 | 4.44% | 44,620 |
| Douglas | 5,166 | 34.57% | 9,425 | 63.08% | 351 | 2.35% | -4,259 | -28.50% | 14,942 |
| Ferry | 1,294 | 37.62% | 1,995 | 57.99% | 151 | 4.39% | -701 | -20.38% | 3,440 |
| Franklin | 8,398 | 37.09% | 13,748 | 60.72% | 497 | 2.19% | -5,350 | -23.63% | 22,643 |
| Garfield | 336 | 26.29% | 913 | 71.44% | 29 | 2.27% | -577 | -45.15% | 1,278 |
| Grant | 8,950 | 32.48% | 17,852 | 64.78% | 756 | 2.74% | -8,902 | -32.30% | 27,558 |
| Grays Harbor | 15,960 | 55.64% | 11,914 | 41.54% | 810 | 2.82% | 4,046 | 14.11% | 28,684 |
| Island | 21,478 | 51.02% | 19,605 | 46.57% | 1,016 | 2.41% | 1,873 | 4.45% | 42,099 |
| Jefferson | 12,739 | 64.24% | 6,405 | 32.30% | 685 | 3.45% | 6,334 | 31.94% | 19,829 |
| King | 668,004 | 69.07% | 275,700 | 28.51% | 23,450 | 2.42% | 392,304 | 40.56% | 967,154 |
| Kitsap | 67,277 | 54.53% | 52,846 | 42.84% | 3,244 | 2.63% | 14,431 | 11.70% | 123,367 |
| Kittitas | 7,949 | 43.75% | 9,782 | 53.83% | 440 | 2.42% | -1,833 | -10.09% | 18,171 |
| Klickitat | 4,598 | 44.75% | 5,316 | 51.74% | 360 | 3.50% | -718 | -6.99% | 10,274 |
| Lewis | 12,664 | 37.20% | 20,452 | 60.08% | 928 | 2.73% | -7,788 | -22.88% | 34,044 |
| Lincoln | 1,673 | 28.49% | 4,063 | 69.19% | 136 | 2.32% | -2,390 | -40.70% | 5,872 |
| Mason | 14,764 | 52.29% | 12,761 | 45.20% | 710 | 2.51% | 2,003 | 7.09% | 28,235 |
| Okanogan | 7,108 | 42.19% | 9,221 | 54.74% | 517 | 3.07% | -2,113 | -12.54% | 16,846 |
| Pacific | 5,711 | 54.27% | 4,499 | 42.75% | 314 | 2.98% | 1,212 | 11.52% | 10,524 |
| Pend Oreille | 2,508 | 37.61% | 3,952 | 59.27% | 208 | 3.12% | -1,444 | -21.66% | 6,668 |
| Pierce | 186,430 | 54.37% | 148,467 | 43.30% | 8,013 | 2.34% | 37,963 | 11.07% | 342,910 |
| San Juan | 7,125 | 67.26% | 3,111 | 29.37% | 358 | 3.38% | 4,014 | 37.89% | 10,594 |
| Skagit | 28,688 | 51.91% | 25,071 | 45.36% | 1,510 | 2.73% | 3,617 | 6.54% | 55,269 |
| Skamania | 2,628 | 48.08% | 2,687 | 49.16% | 151 | 2.76% | -59 | -1.08% | 5,466 |
| Snohomish | 188,516 | 57.16% | 133,016 | 40.33% | 8,285 | 2.51% | 55,500 | 16.83% | 329,817 |
| Spokane | 102,295 | 45.70% | 115,285 | 51.51% | 6,250 | 2.79% | -12,990 | -5.80% | 223,830 |
| Stevens | 7,762 | 35.03% | 13,691 | 61.78% | 708 | 3.19% | -5,929 | -26.75% | 22,161 |
| Thurston | 74,037 | 58.27% | 49,287 | 38.79% | 3,739 | 2.94% | 24,750 | 19.48% | 127,063 |
| Wahkiakum | 1,094 | 47.69% | 1,119 | 48.78% | 81 | 3.53% | -25 | -1.09% | 2,294 |
| Walla Walla | 9,768 | 38.90% | 14,648 | 58.34% | 692 | 2.76% | -4,880 | -19.44% | 25,108 |
| Whatcom | 57,089 | 55.41% | 42,703 | 41.45% | 3,237 | 3.14% | 14,386 | 13.96% | 103,029 |
| Whitman | 8,037 | 46.94% | 8,507 | 49.69% | 577 | 3.37% | -470 | -2.75% | 17,121 |
| Yakima | 33,217 | 43.15% | 42,239 | 54.88% | 1,517 | 1.97% | -9,022 | -11.72% | 76,973 |
| Totals | 1,755,396 | 56.16% | 1,290,670 | 41.29% | 79,450 | 2.54% | 464,726 | 14.87% | 3,125,516 |
Swing by county
Trend relative to the state by county
County flipsDemocratic Hold | Republican Hold Gain from Democratic
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PresidentObama won seven of tencongressional districts, including one that elected a Republican.[35]
| District | Barack Obama | Mitt Romney | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 54.1% | 43.3% | Jay Inslee (111th Congress) |
| Suzan DelBene (112th Congress) | |||
| 2nd | 59.2% | 38.0% | Rick Larsen |
| 3rd | 47.9% | 49.6% | Jaime Herrera Beutler |
| 4th | 37.9% | 59.7% | Doc Hastings |
| 5th | 43.7% | 53.5% | Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
| 6th | 56.1% | 41.2% | Norm Dicks (111th Congress) |
| Derek Kilmer (112th Congress) | |||
| 7th | 79.2% | 18.1% | Jim McDermott |
| 8th | 49.7% | 48.1% | Dave Reichert |
| 9th | 68.3% | 29.6% | Adam Smith |
| 10th | 56.3% | 41.1% | Denny Heck |
As with all otherPacific states, Washington politics are dominated by its progressive metropolitan areas. Washington itself is one of the most progressive states in the country, most notably on women's issues: it was one of the first states to loosen abortion restrictions[4] and is the United States' 7th most secular state.[36] Economically, while Washington was historically asocially liberal andeconomically conservative state, it has become more dominated by leftism in the past few years at the presidential, congressional, and local level.[4][37] Thus, an Obama win was near guaranteed. He dominated theSeattle–Tacoma metropolitan area, winning 69.07% of the vote (a 40.56% margin) inKing County, the largest in the state and home toSeattle. King County alone casts 29% of the state's ballots, and the Seattle metropolitan area (as defined by theUnited States Census Bureau) comprised 69.66% of the state's population in 2012.[38][39] This area of Washington also has the highest minority composition with a 15%Asian, 9%Hispanic, and 7%African American population, and is dominated by diverse, well-educated voters. TheSeattle LGBT community is one of the largest in the country.[4] Thurston County, the 6th largest county in the state and home to the state capital of Olympia, gave Obama 58.27% of the vote, a 19.48% margin. The Democratic ticket also won by great margins in the counties of (in decreasing order of margin)Snohomish (Everett),Whatcom (Bellingham),Kitsap (Bremerton), andPierce (Tacoma).Clark County, home toVancouver, in the southwest of the state, was won by the president with a 431-vote margin. Overall, Western Washington voted 7.7% more Democratic than the state overall.[37]
Meanwhile, Romney's best performance was in the east of the state, which is mostly rural and sparse and has aneconomy dominated byagriculture. Washington's geographic divide resembles that of California and Oregon: voters east of theCascade Mountains are the most conservative in Washington, and Eastern Washington voted 28.5% more Republican than the state as a whole.[37] While comprising most of the counties in the state, this area casts only one-fifth of the ballots. Though many of these counties the Republicans won with over 60% of the vote, these victories were not able to offset Obama's landslide margins in the Seattle–Tacoma metro. Romney's biggest prize wasSpokane County, which gave him over 115,000 votes and a 5.81% margin of victory. He also wonYakima County. However, he was able to flip four counties that Obama won in2008:Klickitat,Skamania,Wahkhiakum, andWhitman. Obama thus became the first Democrat to win the White House without carrying Skamania or Wahkiakum Counties sinceWoodrow Wilson in1916 and the first to do so without carrying Klickitat County sinceJohn F. Kennedy in1960.
This election continuedClallam County'sbellwether streak, marking the 9th election since1980 that it voted for the winner of the nationwide election. Clallam's streak would eventually become the longest of any county in 2020.[40] Washington weighed in as 11.01% more Democratic than the national average in 2012. As of the2024 presidential election, this is the last presidential election in which the Republican nominee wonWhitman County and the Democratic nominee wonCowlitz,Grays Harbor,Mason, andPacific Counties. This is also the last time a Republican received more than 40% of the vote in Washington.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)State and district results of the2012 United States presidential election | ||
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